The Fine Arts of Arrowhead have had many accomplishments throughout the years. Whether musical theatre or performing at the Kennedy Center, the department is the foundation of student expression at Arrowhead. Within the last couple of years, Arrowhead High School has proposed multiple referendums to improve the quality of the school, including its fine art programs; however, all of them have failed to pass. Despite declining student participation, aging facilities and overall funding deficits, the Arrowhead fine arts departments are still going strong.
Arrowhead High School Athletics Director Ryan Mangan commented on increasing student costs across all forms of student activity. “So yeah, I think that’s the biggest part is that whether it be fine arts, basketball, clubs, or an English class, our budgets have remained the same or gone down because our enrollments have also gone down. All of our funding is based on enrollment, so our funding’s gone down, but everything in the world has gotten more expensive.”
With a dwindling student population, Arrowhead High School is in a difficult situation when it comes to funding its many programs. “And so where we are, we have less money, higher expenses, and so we’ve had to pass on the fees. So like your student fees for some of your activities have gone up annually” said Mangan.
Jacob Polancich, nicknamed “Mr. P” by his students, is the current Director of Bands at Arrowhead High School. Mr. P directs Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band South, Marching Band, and Jazz Ensemble. The future of the Arrowhead Band program is looking bright according to Mr. P. “Our goal is to continue providing great band experiences both on campus and off campus, and to continue supporting the community. To continue our outreach to cultivate young musicians.”
One of the ways the Arrowhead Band program is looking to improve the experiences of its members is by the recent acquisition of new Marching Band uniforms, especially after recent school referendums have had little success at the polls.
“The uniforms were funded primarily through donations – about ⅔ of the uniform’s costs were donated by families and supporters of the program, as well as community members through their generosity. We funded that through BBOP and raised a lot of money that way,” said Mr. P.
The Arrowhead Marching Warhawks is a volunteer organization that requires a participation fee that has changed throughout the years. These funds are used to assist in funding the program as well. “There was a course registration fee, I’m pretty sure, and there was a similar fee for marching band,” Connor Jensen, former Arrowhead student, said.
The Arrowhead Band department is on track for an exciting future. Another department is also hoping for a bright future – Arrowhead’s drama department.
Twenty five years ago Mrs. Markano started teaching at Arrowhead; she has directed shows and managed stage crew for 24 of them. She has done a variety of shows at Arrowhead. From comedy to modern classics, she has done it all. In 2014, she added the spring show to give students more chances to be a part of her shows.
Arrowhead’s drama department has done many great things. The theater department has done many shows throughout the years and all of them have their charm. Theater is vital for students to express who they are. They can be whoever they want to be and more.
But now that might change. With the failed referendum, the theater department might suffer. Whether it be higher costs for students to be in the show or actually producing the plays, students and programs are impacted by the financial constraints at Arrowhead.
In the grand scheme of things, the fine arts are a necessity for students and teachers alike. Without theater or band students may not be able to fully express themselves and their interests.
